In the position of caregiver, there are no respites and there will not be, if a sick loved one is sometimes not cared for outside the home.
Geriatrician Tiina Harjulehto wrote creditably (HS Opinion 27.11.) pressures on caregivers. Caregivers themselves are often elderly people. They receive a sick, often elderly person whose needs are similar to those of a toddler. You have to take care of all the daily needs, make sure that the sick person doesn’t run away or hurt himself.
It is mentally exhausting, exhausting and also very binding to answer the non-stop repetitive questions of a memory sufferer. The sick person is lost in his own home. He has no sense of time, place and his own personal history. He has no independent skills. The situation is distressing for the patient and causes him constant worry and restlessness.
Every grandparent knows that when they get to take care of their grandchild, an adorable toddler, for a few hours or a day, the joy is over the top. Honestly and happily, many will sigh when this refreshing beginning is over this time. An elderly person cannot be constantly alert, read or play with a break, even with their grandchild. The toddler grows up, and independence increases. This is not the case for a caregiver’s sick loved one.
In the position of caregiver, there are no breaks or so-called personal time, and there will not be, if a sick loved one is sometimes not cared for outside the home. Digital services are not the solution to this problem.
Kaija Saarelma
general medicine specialist (retired)
experience specialist, Helsinki
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